Straw-ctjtteb



I]. POWERS. Str aw Cutter.

PholmLiUu-zgriplur, wmm mn. D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

D. J. POW'ERS, OF MADISON, IVISCONSIN.

STRAIN-CUTTER.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 27,154, dated Febrnarv 14. 1860; Reissued March 29, 1870, No. 8,898.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID J. P'owERs, of Madison, in the county of Dane and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Cutting-Boxes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which Figure 1, is a vertical side view of the machine. Fig. 2, a vertical longitudinal section. Fig. 3, a side view of the side opposite to Fig. 1. Fig. at, a plan or top view. Fig. 5, a horizontal sectional view of the hand wheel and feed gearing, and Fig. 6, a similar view of the hand-wheel and gearing as it may be made for cutting hay and straw only.

Similar letters of reference, in each of the several figures indicate corresponding parts.

The nature of my invention consists:

1st. In the arrangement of the adjustable ledger blade in combination with the upward cutting knives of the cylinder, curved slot, compensating pinions, weighted lever and feed roller, as hereinafter described.

It consists 2nd. In the arrangement of the cone of the gear wheels on the feed roller shaft with the compound pinion of the knife cylinder, as hereinafter described.

To enable others, skilled in the art, to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A, represents the box, and A the frame of the straw cutter.

B, is the driving wheel upon the shaft C. Upon this shaft are placed two circular metallic plates D, securely fastened so as not to turn except with the shaft. One of these plates is movable laterally upon the shaft G. Upon the inside of each of these plates, near their circumference, are four mortises F, for the purpose of holding the cutting knives.

G, G, are the cutting knives, the ends of which are placed in the mortises F, and then by means of a nut and screw H, upon the shaft C, the circular plates D, are pressed against the end of the knives, which are thus held firmly in their places. These knives are placed on a line paralel to each other, but obliquely to the line of the shaft at an angle of about twenty degrees.

I, is an adjustable steel ledger blade set upon the line of the shaft G, so that the action of the knives in concert with this ledger blade is similar to the action of a pair of shears.

J, is a screw by which the ledger screw is held in place and adjusted.

K, K, K, are pinions of different diameters and so arranged upon the shaft G, as to be run independent of each other.

L, is a compound spur-wheel upon the shaft of the upper feed roller, the cogs of whichmesh into the pinion wheels K, K, K.

M, M, are metallic fluted feed rollers.

N, is a sliding bolt working in a hollow in the shaft C. This shaft upon the part covered by the pinions K, has a slot out through to the hollow in which the bolt N, slides. From near the inner end of this bolt is a pin or spur O, projecting through the slot in the shaft, into a groove cut in each of the pinions. If a slow feed is desired, draw out the bolt N, till the spur O, is in the groove of the smallest pinion K, which is thus made fast to the shaft G, and is the only one communicating power to the spur wheel and meshes into that; part having the largest diameter, and consequently gives the slowest motion. Should a faster motion be desired, push the bolt in, till the spur is in the groove of the middle pinion, which meshes into the second set of cogs in spur wheel, whose diameter is less than the first and the speed consequently increased. Should a still greater speed be desired, push the bolt in till the spur is in the largest pinion, which will then communicate the power to that part of the spur wheel having the smallest diameter and consequently the speed will be the greatest. When the spur O, is in one pinion, the other two turn loose upon the shaft.

Motion is communicated to the lower feed roller by means of four pinions Q Q Q and Q. The power is communicated from upon the upper feed roller through 2 and 3, to 4, on the lower feed roller. The journals, upon which this lower feed roller Q, runs are placed in a circular slot R, the center of the circle being the same as the center of pinion Q3, and the radius just double that, consequently as the roller is pressed down by a large amount of fodder passing between the rollers, the same relative distance between pinions Q and Q}, is maintained and the possibility avoided of their being thrown out of gear. The journals R, are kept pressed up in their proper place by the lever S, acted upon by the movable weight T, whereby a uniform pressure is kept upon the lower feed roller, irrespective of the distance the rollers may be pressed apart by a larger or lesser quantity passing between them.

-U, is'an' iron hook fastened at the top to the frame A, the hook at the lower end being the fulcrum of the lever S.

V, are uprights upon which rest the j0urnals R.

WV, is a cast-iron plate or frame-work attached to the frame A, on each side and supporting the cutting'and feeding apparatus.

X, is a handle for turning the machine by hand.

Y, is a sheet-iron plate covering the cutter box.

When a machine is wanted simply for cutting hay or straw, the loose pinions K,

may be substituted by using two sliding pin- I 10118, as shown in Fig. 6, with two sets of cogs, corresponding with the spur wheel L.

at I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The arrangement of the adjustable ledger blade I, J, in combination with the upward cutting knives G, of the cylinder D, curved slot R, compensating pinions Q Q Q Q weighted lever S, and feed roller M, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The arrangement of the cone of gear wheels L, on the feed roller shaft, with the compound pinion C, of the knife cylinder, subsltantially as and for the purposes set fort n J. POWERS. 

